Stoke City vs. Chelsea: Winners and Losers from Capital One Cup
Stoke City and Chelsea played out an entertaining 120 minutes plus penalties in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night, with Stoke progressing to the quarter-finals courtesy of a 5-4 shootout win after the game ended at 1-1.
Chances were at a premium in the first 45 minutes, though both sides went reasonably close as Diego Costa had a shot from a narrow angle cleared off the line, Ramires failed to shoot on target having rounded the Stoke goalkeeper and Jon Walters shot straight at Chelsea's Asmir Begovic from six yards.
Walters opened the scoring with a fantastic shot in off the bar early after the restart, and it seemed that Stoke had won the game—but Loic Remy scored from close range in injury time to force extra time. Phil Bardsley was sent off seconds later to put Stoke in trouble ahead of the coming 30 minutes, but neither side found the breakthrough. Stoke scored all five of their penalties, before Jack Butland saved from Eden Hazard.
Here are all our winners and losers from the match at the Britannia Stadium.
Loser: Diego Costa
1 of 5
Chelsea's first-choice centre-forward, Costa, started the match at the Britannia Stadium, but his season of frustration continued after he missed a couple of early opportunities and was then forced from the field with an injury to his hip area following a collision.
The Spanish international made a few good runs early on to get into shooting positions, but a combination of defenders on the line and a lack of accurate finishing meant he failed to add to a tally that now stands at just three goals in almost 1,000 minutes of competitive action this season.
It's also worth noting that fellow striker Radamel Falcao didn't even get named on the bench for this match. According to the Daily Mail's Joe Bernstein, he may move on in January, and the Colombian appears well out of favour right now.
Winner: Jack Butland
2 of 5
Jack Butland has been excellent throughout the season for Stoke City, proving that the Potters were right to take the money on offer for Asmir Begovic—largely untroubled, but still beaten at the opposite end of the pitch—and upgrade their first team without needing to buy a replacement.
The English 'keeper made two important saves in the first half, reacting well to danger and taking high balls in his area too, underlining his maturity and decision-making just as much as his capacity to make spectacular stops with his reflexes. There was nothing he could do about Remy's late equaliser, scored from an unmarked position at close range.
In extra time, two good saves and some composed aerial handling ensured his team stayed on terms—then he made the crucial save on the last penalty to deny Hazard and send Stoke through.
Joe Hart will naturally be England's goalkeeper going into the Euros, but on his form this season, Butland can reasonably expect his progression to give Hart serious competition for the next round of qualifiers. Consistency and growth will determine much of Butland's capacity to challenge Hart and be seen as one of the Premier League's best.
Winner: Mark Hughes Flipping His Two Attacking Workhorses
3 of 5
Mark Hughes has typically fielded two of his more creative attacking midfielders along with the more industrious and robust Jon Walters in the line of three behind a lone striker this season.
That striker is usually Mame Biram Diouf. But Hughes opted to switch the two in their roles for the match on Tuesday.
He asked Walters to bully the Chelsea centre-backs, hold the ball up and close down as often as possible, which he did extraordinarily well. The goal he scored was even more impressive, while Diouf showed all his work rate and pace down the flank to track back and cover his full-back against the raids of Oscar and Hazard.
Both were imperative to Stoke's game plan and far more effective in the final third than Ibrahim Afellay and Marko Arnautovic, with the former utterly anonymous and the latter alternating between brilliant and a liability. Diouf should also be commended for his selfless work in extra time, filling in at right-back after Bardsley's red card.
Winner: Glenn Whelan
4 of 5
Never the most flashy of players, Glenn Whelan nonetheless put in an absolutely monstrous shift for Stoke City in the centre of midfield.
He tackled and broke ranks at the right times to press Chelsea backward, held his ground in front of the defence to frustrate the attack and surged forward in possession when he was able to so he could support the front four—even being involved in the buildup to Stoke's goal.
Whelan might not get much recognition for a display that merged controlled physicality with an exceptional reading of the game, but his control in the middle was undoubtedly key to keeping Chelsea at bay.
Loser: Jose Mourinho
5 of 5
The reigning holders of the Capital One Cup continued their recent downturn in form as they let slip their grasp on the trophy far too easily.
Jose Mourinho's team dominated possession for long periods, especially after Stoke went down to 10 men, but the lack of invention and penetration in the side once again was just bewildering—long-range shots or overhit passes down the channel were the consistent approach from his team.
Mourinho can't do much about losing in the shootout, of course, but that his team still couldn't find a winner in 120 minutes against Stoke, with a man more for half an hour, speaks volumes of the problems he faces and the lack of confidence in the side.
